


The Darkest Part of the Night

by twilightvxen



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-15 23:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11241243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilightvxen/pseuds/twilightvxen
Summary: A series of first days for Jughead and Betty.





	1. Chapter 1

It’s the first day of kindergarten and the rest of his life.

 

He’s wearing the new shirt his mama got him specially for this day. It’s got two dinosaurs on it, because two dinosaurs are obviously better and cooler than one. At least, that is what he tells his mama.

 

He finds that the same is true with friends too. He’s had Archie since day one. Their parents were ecstatic to learn they would have sons the same age, able to carry on the lifelong friendship that F.P. and Fred held. They are inseparable, and Jughead wonders why anyone would need more than one best friend, unless they were a really bad best friend.

 

He used to frown at the thought. Archie could never be a bad friend.

 

Now though, he sits in a small chair, nervously swinging his short legs back and forth. They don’t quite reach the ground, no matter how far forward he sits in his chair. He needs a distraction, so he stretches one leg out, tongue poking out of his mouth as he tries his hardest, but the ground is still too far away for him to reach.

 

So is Archie.

 

There is a messy mop of bright red hair across the room, bobbing up and down with excitement. It only makes Jughead miss his friend more. He wants to share that happiness, but instead he only feels dread.

 

The classroom is bigger than the trailer he lives in with his parents and baby Jellybean, but it still feels too small in comparison. There are so many kids that Jughead doesn’t know, and even though he pinky promised his mom he would try to make friends, he only wants the one he already has. He misses the day’s when he and Archie could play together for hours, and they didn’t have to follow rules or introduce themselves to all these kids.

 

He’s insecure, but at his age he can’t put a name to the sour taste that enters his mouth and the tears that brim his eyes as his bottom lip trembles with the urge to cry. Most of the other kids have normal names, like Reggie and Kevin, or Cheryl and Archie, and although Jughead never worried about his name before, he heard all the kids laugh at the little boy named Moose, and by now he’s smart enough to know that his own is even stranger.

 

His savior comes in the form of a whirlwind of blonde hair, green eyes and a high-pitched voice that brings him down from the edge of tears he is perched on.

 

“Hi I’m Elizabeth but all my friends call me Betty so you can too now that we’ve met!” She’s too loud and too close for his liking, but she smells like the vanilla cupcakes his mama made the night before to celebrate him going into kindergarten, and he can’t help but lean in even farther.

 

He blinks a few times once he realizes that she was talking to him, and carefully mumbles a reply while facing the ground. “My name is Jughead.”

 

When he looks up again, she looks confused and this is what he was worried about. The tears flood his eyes within seconds and he wants to curl into a ball like he does with Hot Dog at home whenever he gets sad. But Hot Dog isn’t here and neither are his mama and daddy and Archie is too far away for him to call out to. Even little Jellybean would be better than any of these people, and all she does is smell bad and cry.

 

“Sorry! I didn’t hear you very well, can you say your name again?” She’s in his face again, and Jughead gets a good look at her. There’s a sparkle in her eyes and he remembers his mama’s words earlier. **_Be kind Juggie, and other’s will be too._**

****

She also told him he was a smart boy (and his chest had puffed up a little in pride at these words) and this girl, _Betty_ , is being kind so he assumes she must also have a mama who said the same thing.

 

“It’s Jughead.” He says while sitting taller, forcing a watery smile onto his face.

 

“That’s such a cool name! Betty is so boring but it’s alright because that’s what my mommy named me and she knows best because she’s the smartest mommy I’ve ever had!”

 

He can’t believe she didn’t think his name was funny, and he sits quietly. Even Archie had laughed a little when he first started using it. **_Now you have a silly real name and a silly nickname!_** Jughead doesn’t think he was trying to be mean, but now the memory hurts a little in comparison to Betty’s reaction.

 

Jughead is brought back into focus when he realizes the teacher has reached his table to introduce to the rest of the class. A girl named Midge goes first, then another named Josie. The teacher barely has time to point to Betty before she takes a deep breath and a stream of words that Jughead can barely understands leaves her mouth.

 

“Hi I’m Elizabeth Cooper but you can call me Betty and I’m so excited to finally be in Kindergarten and this is my new friend Jughead!” She practically falls out of her seat with excitement and giggles rack her small body as she slaps a hand over her mouth and gives a muffled shriek. Her blond curls are bouncing and Jughead is mesmerized by her already. “Sorry I’m just so excited I couldn’t hold it in!”

 

He looks down at his shirt and sees the two dinosaurs. This is the second time she’s referred to him as her friend since they got here, and he thinks that if two dinosaurs are better than one, it only makes sense that two friends are better than one as well. And he’s a smart boy, so it must be true.

 

“Well, Miss Betty, your friend might have wanted to introduce himself today.”

 

His feels warm with affection for the bouncing blonde sitting next to him, and he thinks that the teacher is right. He does want to share his name after all.

 

* * *

 

Tomorrow is the first day of sixth grade, which consequently means that it is the first day of middle school as well.

 

Jughead doesn’t think that this means anything special, but from her place next to him at the kitchen table, Betty insists that everything changes once you start middle school. He shrugs with indifference since he gave up arguing with her years ago.

 

 He’s found that she is usually right anyways.

 

“We’re going to a whole new school, and new kids from different elementary schools will be there too. We’ll have new teachers, and we have to go to _six_ classes now instead of one. Can you believe that? Six classes!”

 

She is breathless from ranting, and so is Jughead, but for a different reason altogether. She’s been talking about sixth grade all break, and the excitement she feels has become too much for her to contain, and it spills out like the sticky overflowing sodas they shared with Archie all summer long. Her hands move as rapidly as her mouth does, and he can’t decide which one to focus on first. Which ones he likes better.

 

He’s nervous though, because if what she says is true, there is a chance Betty will make better friends than Jughead and suddenly he isn’t hungry for Alice Cooper’s famous mac and cheese anymore. He just wants Betty.

 

He gave up long ago on being Archie’s only friend, because the boy was too outgoing to be glued to Jughead’s side 24/7. He never worried though, because the red-head remained as loyal as ever to his best friend, and Jughead would always be his first choice. 11 years of life had taught Jughead that people come and go, but over 10 years of friendship with Archie had taught him that they were brothers, and family never leaves you behind.

 

(Soon he will learn that this is not necessarily true, and that as usual, Betty is right. Everything changes when you least expect it.)

 

Betty is different though. She listens to Jughead’s problems and gives him better advice than anyone else could. She’s held his hand through elementary school and all the insecurities it brought him growing up. He’s never had a friend as caring and warm as Betty, and doesn’t think that he ever will again if he loses her.

 

 ** _You get what you give Juggie._** He grew up in the trailer park with this mentality, surrounded by men and women who protected his family because his father had done the same.

 

(His mom will tell him this again a year later when she leaves for the last time. **_You get what you give Juggie, but sometimes what you give isn’t good enough._** )

 

He’s never lived the same life she does, white picket fences with enough money for food and more. His family has lived paycheck to paycheck, and his father jumps from job to job. It’s been hard on him even though he doesn’t like to show it. But it becomes inevitable once Betty has solidified her place in his life that she will learn about his fears and worries about his family’s stability, something no 11 year old should be subjected to.

 

And still she had stayed by his side, their friendship only growing stronger with time. Archie might be his brother, but Betty is his _best friend._

 

(Most people would say that a brother is closer than a best friend, but logically, brothers are obligated to stay with you by blood or law, a best friend chooses to do so.)

 

He’s been there for her as well, and right now he thinks that should be enough for her to stay. He protected Betty from bully’s and let her cry on his shoulder whenever she needed to. He held her hand during scary movies, in the hoped that her nails would dig into his hands instead of her own. He always told her she was beautiful whenever she asked about clothes, or when she started wearing makeup over the summer, because she asked for his honest opinion.

 

Jughead gives the type of love he is desperate to get.

 

So, when the first day of school comes, he is more nervous than he’s ever been on first days, even though he enters with his two friends at his sides like every year before. He sits with Archie at lunch, since Betty has a different lunch period. His friend spends the entire time dreaming out loud about the new girl, Veronica, and how gorgeous and confident she is. Jughead spends the entire lunch mourning the absence of green eyes and sunshine yellow hair.

 

The rest of the day flies by, and before he knows it, he is walking towards his last class of the day, the one he has with Betty. His stomach feels weird and a sour taste enters his mouth, but this time he can name it easily. He’s nervous to see her, although he still isn’t quite sure why.

 

He spots the new girl right away, dark hair, a wide smile, pearl necklace and navy blue dress. He thinks she’s over dressed for sixth grade, but bites his tongue to keep that thought in.

 

Jughead doesn’t have time to even consider that Betty might want to sit with her new friends instead of him before she comes flying through the door and straight to the table he is sitting at. He is lost in the scent of vanilla and the flowery perfume she made him go shopping with her for, and he finds himself in the waves of her hair and the feel of his arms around her small waist.

 

Betty has stuck around for the past six years, and in this moment Jughead knows she’ll be around for the next six, if not more. He has time to figure out what this feeling is. For now, though, he’s content that he feels it for Betty and no one else.

 

* * *

 

It’s the first day of their last year together in high school.

 

Jughead feels his chest tighten uncomfortable at the thought. He’s made it this far and four years ago he never would have guessed it was possible. He was swept up in the tornado of his family that was years of built up pressure and stress and managed to come out alive and fighting. He doesn’t want to leave the little bubble he’s blown around himself for protection, but bubbles are weak and the end of this year will be the needle that pops it.

 

For the meantime, he has so many things to be thankful for. A father figure in his life, a brother returned to his side, and a light to guide him through the darkness of his own mind.

 

They are simple things that most people are born with, but these were made for him. Forged by the challenges he’s faced and the same pressure that broke him and then turned him into a diamond.

 

Fred took him in like his own son after his father went to jail. Even though Jughead will always love and rely on his real father, there are some things you can’t provide from the cold hard floor of a prison cell. He has a home with the Andrews, and he works for Fred to repay him, because you can’t pay for food and shelter with kindness.

 

After a rift in their friendship, he and Archie only came out stronger. They both needed to work on things, and now they know each other better for it. It takes time, but Jughead forgives him, because he has learned that sometimes you give without expecting anything in return.

 

But he would not be where he is today without Betty Cooper by his side. She hopped on for the wildest ride of her life and held on like he was the only thing keeping her alive, when in reality it was the other way around. She fought for him, for his family, and for things he didn’t know he was even allowed to want. His heart wanted to burst whenever he thought about her, and how she led him through the darkest part of the night until he could see the sunlight.

 

He doesn’t think he’s ever loved a person so fiercely, didn’t think it was possible growing up. He never believed he deserved to love and be loved the way he is by Betty.

 

But she proved him wrong again, like she always does whenever he’s in a bad place. She tells him that there are things worth waiting for, and even though she isn’t perfect herself, he’s never met someone so genuine and rich with love to give. Betty Cooper might not be perfect, but his eyes, perfection was Betty Cooper.

 

She shares the darkness with him, has taken a weight off his shoulders and consequently put it on her own, but they carry it together now.

 

Jughead thinks back to the year before this, when he never got the chance to stand in this spot. He walked the streets of The Southside alone while Betty left the city for the summer and while Archie had left him for Veronica. He went to Southside High that year, neither of his friends by his side, and pleaded with time to speed up. It didn’t, but eventually those puzzle pieces fell into place and he was thankful for the time he had.

 

Now, he is here again, staring up at Riverdale High desperately hoping that time will slow down so he can enjoy this life he lives in the moment. It won’t, and soon the first bell will ring. Before he knows it the first week, then month, then semester will be over, and the rest will follow in the blink of an eye.

 

He tends to live life like this, anticipating the future instead of appreciating the present, but with Betty he wants to focus on the past as well.

 

It’s not the bell that shakes him out of his reverie, but a soft tug by a small hand on his jacket sleeve. “You ready to do this today?”

 

He looks down at her and his fingers itch with the need to touch. To cup her jaw and run a finger over the soft lips that sing music in his ears. To run his fingers through her hair and keep his overworked and over worried hands busy.

 

He settles for dropping his arm and slipping his calloused fingers through her soft ones. He runs a finger over her nails and is glad to find they are long, but the scars on her palms are older as this budding relationship.

 

“I think I am, are you?”

 

“Of course Juggie, we’ve made it this far and I’m not going to stop here for anyone but you.”

 

“I’ve waited a long time for this moment Betts, I wouldn’t want to do it without you.” _God_ , he loves her so much.

 

They walk through the halls before she speaks again, and they stand outside her homeroom. Jughead will be late to his own, but one more minute with Betty is worth more than thousands of detentions.

 

“I’ll meet you outside by the truck after school, okay?” Her earnest eyes are aimed up at him through thick lashes, and he thinks they too are worth more than the emeralds they mimic.

 

“I’ll be waiting for you there.” He’d been waiting for her his whole life, and when she was ready, she gave him more than a lifetime of happiness just by being there for him, with him.

 

Her gaze is intense in a dizzying way, just like she is. His eyes drop from hers to the plush lips that helped heal his wounds, and he leans forward a fraction of an inch. The scent of vanilla lingers, but he recognizes it as the scent of home.

 

When their lips meet, it’s gentle, like she had been with him at his most fragile. After a moment, she signs, and melts into his grip on her waist. Their lips move against each other and Jughead feels warm and fuzzy. He’ll never get used to the feeling of having this part of her, but for them, each kiss is like the first. It feels exciting and new.

 

After school, she beats him to FP’s beat up old truck. He spots her immediately when he steps out of the building, and watches for a moment in awe. The sun shines on her golden skin and she has never looked more like the angel that she is.

 

It’s been a long day, and he craves the feeling of being wrapped up in her arms. She looks up as he strides over to her and immediately understands, setting her things in the bed of the truck and opening her arms.

 

He just hugs her for a moment, breathing in her comfort and loving the feeling of how she fits like a puzzle piece against his body.

 

“You ready to go home Jug?”

 

He takes another deep breath and mumbles against her ear, “I’m already there.”


	2. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more firsts for Betty and Jughead. This is just to get something out there because I scrapped the other fic I was working on and needed a quick pick me up that i'll edit later. Sorry if it seems a little rushed (it was). Thank you so much all the lovely comments here and on tumblr @beaugitsune!

Today is the first day that Betty and Jughead are officially living together, and Jughead is nervous.

 

He isn’t nervous about what living with his girlfriend actually entails, after all, he used to crawl into bed with her more often than not when they lived separately. No, Jughead is scared of what this means.

 

Jughead has committed to plenty of things in his life (the most obvious being his look. Not many people would wear the same faded beanie for years on end without reason). He successfully made it through high school, committed to a college, and subsequently committed to a major. He’s already signed a book deal, so legally he is committed to write at least 2 more books, and with the money from that book deal he was able to put down a deposit and commit to this apartment.

 

Most importantly though, he is completely committed and hopelessly devoted to Betty. Without Betty by his side, Jughead thinks he never would have accomplished the aforementioned list of commitments. He could wax poetic about her and make nothing off of it because he already feels like a millionaire with her by his side. His heart is full with love for her and his brain is filled with words that want to spill onto pages, overflowing into their daily lives.

 

Jughead _aches_ to build a home with Betty, to pick out their first couch together, make dinners and dance around each other in the kitchen, to bicker over insignificant things like who gets the remote each night. He knows it sounds like a simple life, but after everything that he’s gone through, that they’ve gone through together, simplicity is a welcome change of pace. Betty is the one who gives him a reason to wake up in the morning, if only so he can end the day back in bed with her and wake up by her side all over again.

 

But Betty is also the one who fuels the fear that is plaguing him on this day.

 

They’ve been together so long but for Jughead everyday with her feels like a new beginning, and he can’t shake the irrational fear that something better will come along and she’ll realize that he was never worth the time and effort.

 

Jughead doesn’t have problems committing, he has problems with people committing to _him._

 

His friends, teachers, counselors, publishers - his _parents._ Everyone important to him, everyone who should have meant something to him, had come to their senses at one point or another and left him behind, struggling to keep up with their lives when none of them made the effort to slow down and let him breathe. He doesn’t dare say it out loud, but every once in awhile the voice in the back of his head tells him it’s only a matter of time before Betty does as well.

 

Now, he’s standing alone in the apartment they picked out together. It’s close to his new office and even closer to Betty’s garage, and he already has plans to meet her for lunch whenever he can because of the proximity. The walls are bare but he knows there’s a box of his photography and other pictures and posters waiting for them in the car, begging to be displayed. There’s already a small loveseat to his right from Betty’s old apartment and the image of them curled up on it together is permanently seared into the back of his mind.

 

Domesticity was a luxury his family couldn’t afford when he was young. With Betty, it's priceless, but Jughead’s never felt richer than when he’s with her, and he plans to invest for the long haul.

 

Familiar footsteps echo down the hall, signaling Betty’s return from the small U-Haul they hired for the day. He feels slightly guilty for leaving her to do the heavy lifting by herself, but he had gotten caught up with emotions and needed a moment to convince himself they they were really here.

 

“Hey Jug? I think there’s only a few more boxes left, can you - _oh._ Is everything okay?” Her voice softens as she round the corner through the open door into the apartment, _their_ apartment.

 

She knows the look on his face whenever he’s overthinking things, and her ability to read him like an open book is one of the things he loves most about her. “Yeah Betty, everything's okay now. I just needed a moment to take it all in.”

 

Her box is abandoned on an empty table somewhere and she begins to stride over to him, keeping eye contact until her hands connect with his face in and embrace that cracks Jughead’s reserve while simultaneously holding him together. A soft thumb brushes gently over her cheeks as she whispers to him, “Look at what we did Juggie, we made it here together against all odds. I am _so_ proud of you for being here with me.”

 

The raw emotion in her voice is enough to put him back together again like it always does. He doesn’t know how he could ever doubt her dedication to him and their life together. He’s working on these insecurities, but Betty has a knack for making him feel more confident and secure with each passing day.

 

“And that is why I love you, Betty Cooper.”

 

"Jughead Jones, I love you. We’re in a new place, but it’s just us, remember that. We’re not the same people we used to be, we changed together, and that’s amazing.”

 

Her soft breath falls in waves over his skin, a whisper that calms his every nerve. Betty’s eyed are wide and glassy, overcome with emotion herself, and she blinks to move the tears away. His mouth forms the words ‘come here,’ but no sound leaves his lips. She listens anyways.

 

Betty tucks herself into the expanse of his chest and buries her face between his neck and shoulder. He can feel moisture from her tears dance across his skin, and where his nose is buried under waves of hair, he can smell remnants of the shower they took together that morning. His lips fall weightless on the top of her head, but every kiss is seared into her skin like a brand. After Betty has stopped shaking under his arms, Jughead pulls back, hands resting on her shoulders that have lifted him up for so long. Now it is his turn to do the same for her.

 

“Hey, we believed in ourselves and we made it. What’s wrong?”

 

Betty drinks in the sound of his voice, feeding on his words like drugs, and she is addicted.

 

“We made it, Juggie. We made it here and we’re okay.”

 

He doesn’t say anything, but the look he gives her is worth more than a thousand words. They’re extended eye contact brings a watery giggle to Betty’s face, and she moves closer again. He dips down, and his lips catch hers without struggle. Her tongue pokes at his lips, and when he allows her access, all seems right again.

 

They’re tongues slide against each other, and Betty feels like velvet. Languid kisses eventually turn into short, biting ones as Jughead playfully nips at her bottom lip. She is smiling into his mouth, and they’re teeth knock together as he follows her when she pulls back.

 

Out of breath she giggles, “Thank you, and I love you, but now that I’m not an emotional wreck we _really_ need to get the rest of those boxes up here. The movers are still waiting down there.”

 

As much as he wants to tell her that they can keep waiting, Jughead is tongue-tied and his brain hurries to catch up before she speaks again.

 

“I would love to stay up here with you and waste the day away, but I need your arms to carry up the last of our things.”

 

A short peck on his lips shocks him into action, but she is already flouncing out of the door, mood lifted from their embrace, and he knows that no matter what, Betty will always come back to him.

 

One weight may have been lifted from Jughead’s shoulders today, but another one is still present. The literal weight may seem minimal, but the promise it holds has much more significance to him than anything that has occurred today. It’s a promise he’ll keep for the rest of his life, and it resides in the form of a small box tucked in the pocket of his jacket that holds his heart and his happiness and everything else he has to give inside.

 

* * *

 

Today will be their first day as a married couple, and Jughead never wants this dream to end.

 

Of course, he knows that this is all real, but it took him weeks after he proposed for the meaning to set in. He is marrying Betty Cooper, soon to be Betty Jones.

 

(He didn’t want her to take his name, to take the burden that comes with the Jones family, but after many long nights of arguing, Betty convinced him that she wanted all of him, including his past, present and future.)

 

Jughead is promising something to Betty today, and unlike his parents and so many others around him, it’s a promise he fiercely intends to keep.  He wants everything with her, a home, a family, and a lifetime of love and happiness. He doesn’t do things for her because he wants the same in return, he gives to her without expectation because he aches to take care of her, provide for her in any way that he possibly can.

 

Today, he is promising that he will always pick her up from work on bad days. He promises to trust her with the bad thoughts that invade his mind. He promises that he’ll change the lightbulbs the _first_ time she asks. He will listen to her mini rants, and share his own to distract her. He will never try and subdue her enthusiasm for life, because it makes him excited to see her so. He will be her biggest supporter when they have to move out of their apartment for her new job. He will let her know his insecurities, so they can work on them together. He promises to stay present during arguments, to never shut her out like he is so used to doing. He will pick up her favorite ice cream at one in the morning when she has a craving for it. He will follow her wherever she goes, and she will do the same thing for him.

 

Jughead promises to love Betty, profoundly and from the bottom of his heart, for the rest of their lives.

 

He’s never wanted to tell her that he loves her as much as he does right now, sitting in a hotel room with his groomsmen, forbidden from seeing his girlfriend/fiance/soon-to-be-wife until the wedding starts. He thinks that all those words are meaningless compared to what she really is, his partner. They are partners who share together, work together, and wouldn’t be complete without each other.

 

The sound of laughter fills the air around him, a hand claps him on the shoulder, but he doesn’t register any words in his love induced haze. He feels heavy with the weight of affection and pure admiration for Betty. He swallows thickly when he imagines her now, stepping into her wedding dress, rolling her eyes as Veronica forces her to twirl, secretly enjoying the giddy feeling it brings her. He wants to be with her _now_ to experience this blissful feeling together, but the anticipation will only make the real moment more satisfying.

 

“Jug! Jughead! We gotta go man, this thing’s about to start!”

 

“You’re getting hitched Juggie! I mean I still can’t believe she chose you, but it’s time to go!”

 

‘I’m personally offended Betty didn’t ask me to be her bridesmaid, but I guess this is good enough.”

 

Voices belonging to Archie, Jellybean, and Kevin usher him out of the door. The moment is here and his heart is is pumping along to the rushed steps that are carrying him outside, but he feels eerily calm. Double doors appear in front of him, and just beyond that sits a crowd that has been just as anxious for this day as Jughead himself.

 

It’s a small wedding made up of family, friends and a few co-workers, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Pretty pastels mingle with dark leather in the audience, a clear distinction between the bride and groom’s parties, yet these people are intertwined, just like their lives.

 

People are bustling around him, yelling directions this way and that. The entire affair feels like a movie production, but Jughead would watch this film on repeat if it meant he got to live through this moment everyday. All too soon, the men and his sister who stood behind Jughead at his worst are standing in front of him, striding down the aisle, and the wedding, _his wedding,_ begins.

 

Small applause flitters around the audience, and Jughead uses it to ground himself in this moment. He can’t blank out and speed through the procession like he did with most of his life. Remembering this will make it all the more real when he looks back.

 

Jughead deliberately counts down the seconds until it is his turn to walk, like Alice Cooper drilled into him during rehearsal. This morphs into him counting his steps, barely able to hear himself over the roaring of blood in his ears. After he hits the number 25, Jughead finds himself taking his spot on stage, turning to face the audience with a grin of incredible pride spreading across his face. Pride for making it here, and pride for being the man Betty has chosen to spend the rest of her life with.

 

When he steadies himself on stage, a familiar hand finds his shoulder. The secret smiles they share when Jughead turns slightly lets him know that the man behind him has never been happier for his brother. His best friend and best man is still Archie, despite all the rough patches they went through during childhood and high school. College had distanced them, but he’s never felt closer to him than he does now.

 

In front of him, women in royal blue come sauntering down the aisle. Cheryl, Polly and Veronica file onto the stage, and a smug look is aimed his way by the last girl, who settles into her spot nearest him. Jughead cannot imagine what a hassle this group of women must have been throughout the whole process, but he knows that Betty wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

The audience then coos simultaneously as if on cue, as little feet stumble and trip down the aisle. Intense looks of concentration grace the faces of the youngest Cooper-Blossom family members, the ring bearer and flower girl, now Jughead’s nephew and niece.

 

A few moments of silence pass as the little ones are directed around on stage by their mother, but when he isn’t paying attention, a round of gasps makes its way through the crowd. Jughead’s head whips to face the end of the aisle. Everything was happening too fast, but when he sees Betty, time starts to slow and he is forever grateful for the chance it gives him to bask in the moment.

 

Arm in arm with Hal, Betty walks toward him with the brightest smile Jughead has ever seen cross her face. He suddenly can’t breathe, because Betty looks like an ethereal angel dressed in white, golden and glowing. If this is heaven, he would gladly die a thousand times over to see her again.

 

Her dress is simple, and soft white envelops her body, pooling onto the ground around her feet. It is something she would have abhorred years ago when she thought that 'simple' was all she was. Now though, she embraces it, because extravagance isn’t her strong suit unlike some of her bridesmaids. No matter what she wears, Jughead would think she looks priceless. The way she looks doesn't matter to him as long as she is there by his side.

 

Hal gives her away, aiming a jokingly stern look in Jughead’s direction, and steps back to take a seat next to his wife in the front row. Betty carefully climbs up to the stage, and slowly but purposefully takes her spot across from him.

 

Jughead feels lightheaded. He hasn’t had anything to drink yet, but he feels drunk off the loving expression that Betty is giving him. A veil covers her face, but Jughead doesn’t think he’s ever seen her clearer than now. This is what he wants, to spend as long as he can with the only person who’s never given up on him, who brings him light even during the darkest part of the night.

 

Before anything can begin, Betty hands her bouquet with a teary-eyed Veronica, but when she turns back, a mischievous smile flits across her face, and he notices her hands aren’t as empty as they should be. “Hey Juggie, I have something for you.”

 

Wrapped up in the hands that hold his heart, something faded and grey awaits to be revealed. Jughead catches the glint of a button in the warm summer sun, and his palms start to sweat with the realization of what she has for him.

 

It’s his crown beanie.

 

He hadn’t worn his safety net in years, hadn’t felt the urge to tug it over his ears and hide behind the fabric to close himself off since Betty taught him how _euphoric_ it felt to open himself up and work out their problems together. Jughead didn’t even know they had kept the hat, probably tucked away in a box on the highest shelf of their closet, somewhere he never felt the need to seek out. His hands itch with call to _hold_ and embrace Betty, to thank her for something only she would know he needed on a day like this.

 

He restrains himself though and she holds onto the hat until they trade rings. Vows are exchanged and Betty’s words are music to his ears like the food of love that has fueled him for so long. His own promises flow out of his mouth with ease, not because he practiced, but because they’re everything he’s wanted to tell her for years, but never had the perfect opportunity to do so.

 

When it’s time, her soothing hands drain his body of any tension as she slips the cool metal band onto his finger. It fits like it’s been made for him like they are for each other. He places the thin band that exemplifies everything Betty around her ring finger, and it shines as bright as the smile of it's new owner. Then it’s her turn to give him one last gift. She picks up the hat with equal importance, before firmly placing it on unruly hair like she had routinely done for him so many times before.

 

During their moment, the booming voice of their officiant fills the static air, “Do you, Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third take Elizabeth Cooper to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

 

“I do.” He’s never been more committed to two words before in his life.

 

“And do you, Elizabeth Cooper take Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

 

The words barely escape his mouth before an earnest, “I do,” tumbles between Betty’s lips, like she couldn’t wait to make this one last promise to him.

 

He holds her close, and when their lips meet in a soft embrace, small hands slide into his hair under the hat, and it feels like coming home.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a one-shot, and only occurred because I don't know how to write multi-chapter fics and wanted a break from mine and some pure sugary fluff. I also love the idea of bughead as kids. Thank you to everyone who reads! I'll post it on my tumblr (@beaugitsune) as well, but beware I have yet to start reblogging anything bughead, I've kinda been sitting and watching things go down. Thanks again and sorry for any obvious mistakes, I'll edit it tomorrow. Comments are appreciated!
> 
> p.s. the title is from the song Glorious by Macklemore


End file.
